1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for joining textile elements. The invention concerns, more particularly, a method of utilizing a polymer adhesive to join textile elements in applications such as apparel.
2. Description of Background Art
Textiles may be defined as any manufacture from fibers, filaments, or yarns characterized by flexibility, fineness, and a high ratio of length to thickness. Textiles generally fall into two categories. The first category includes textiles produced directly from webs of fibers by bonding, fusing, or interlocking to construct non-woven fabrics and felts. The second category includes textiles formed through a mechanical manipulation of yarn, thereby producing a woven fabric.
Yarn is the raw material utilized to form textiles in the second category. In general, yarn is defined as an assembly having a substantial length and relatively small cross-section that is formed of at least one filament or a plurality of fibers. Fibers have a relatively short length and require spinning or twisting processes to produce a yarn of suitable length for use in textiles. Common examples of fibers include cotton and wool. Filaments, however, have an indefinite length and may merely be combined with other filaments to produce a yarn suitable for use in textiles. Modern filaments include a plurality of synthetic materials such as rayon, nylon, polyester, and polyacrylic, with silk being the primary, naturally-occurring exception. Yarn may be formed of a single filament (conventionally referred to as a monofilament yarn) or a plurality of individual filaments. Yarn may also be formed of separate filaments formed of different materials, or the yarn may be formed of filaments that are each formed of two or more different materials. Similar concepts also apply to yarns formed from fibers. Accordingly, yarns may have a variety of configurations that generally conform to the definition provided above.
Separate textile elements, whether classified within the first or second category, are often joined to produce a variety of consumer articles, including apparel, for example. Conventionally, the textile elements are joined through stitching, which is the interweaving of a yarn through two or more textile elements to secure the textile elements together. Although stitching may be accomplished by hand, which is recognized as a labor-intensive and inefficient process, sewing machines are generally utilized to stitch the textile elements together, thereby forming a seam between the textile elements.
Stitching is the most prevalent method of joining textile elements in modern industry. The process of stitching and the resulting stitched area, however, are subject to certain limitations. For example, sewing machines are generally configured to form a linear or gradually curving seam, rather than highly-curved or angular seams, thereby limiting the configuration of the resulting product. In addition, the edges of the textile elements may unravel if not properly surged, hemmed, or turned during the stitching process, which adds technical difficulty to the stitching process and may result in defective articles if not properly executed. Furthermore, many seams may include three or more layers of textile, due to hemming or turning of the textile elements, which increase the thickness of the seam and may represent areas of discomfort in the article.
As an alternative to stitching the edges of textile elements together, Bemis Associates, Inc. of Shirley, Mass., United States manufactures polymer heat seal seam tapes that may be utilized to reinforce seams, replace stitching, bond labels and embroidery to garments, and prevent fraying, for example. The seam tapes are thermoplastic polymers that may be applied by commercially-available taping machines and join textile elements formed of a variety of materials, including polyester, cotton, and blended fabrics that include both polyester and cotton fibers, for example.